A Few Frugal Meals That I Won’t Be Cooking Anytime Soon

I have a lot of cookbooks. A lot of cookbooks. One that I prize was my grandma’s book “Radiation Cookery Book. For Use with the ‘New World’ Regulo-Controlled Gas Cookers.” First published in 1927 in London, the edition I have is 1935. It is a cook book for gas ovens when they were new.

In a time when food wasn’t wasted, when even the dripping was collected and reused as many times as possible, this book has some ultimate frugal, if not old fashioned recipes.

I’m pretty open about what I eat. I like trying new foods. I was brought up on some old fashioned foods like black pudding and pigs trotters. I remember having steak and kidney pie the night after we dissected kidneys in science and thinking hmm, I’m eating the medulla.

But there are a few frugal meals that I don’t think I could bring myself to eat, unless I had to.

Giblet Soup

Sheep’s Head Broth (I was going to include the method for preparing a sheep’s head but thought better of it.)

Cod’s Head Casserole

Stewed Eels

Calf’s Head with Brains Sauce

Haggis

Tripe and Onions (I actually didn’t mind tripe as a kid. Now my stomach turns at the smell.)

Macaroni (sweet served as a desert with sugar)

Along with these less than appetising recipes, there are many tasty, old fashioned British recipes, some of which I’ve tried or have made adjustments to to suit the more modern diet (one in which doesn’t include cooking in lard).